


A Magician's Apprentice

by RavenwritingDesk



Category: Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Action, Actual Story, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Curses, F/M, Falling In Love, Magic, Monsters, Mystical, Original Character(s), Plot, Self-Insert, Story, War, howls moving castle inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:06:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28701897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenwritingDesk/pseuds/RavenwritingDesk
Summary: Passing the time couldn't be more fun...A fun little magical adventure where the world is in high-fantasy, Victorian Era-esk, Howl's Moving Castle inspired setting and the characters in BNHA are all different types of magicians specialising in certain elements of magic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Money in this universe: Gold, silver and bronze coins.  
> The lower class call Silver coins sillies and bronze coins bees.  
> High Fantasy/Victorian/Edwardian/ Howl's Moving Castle setting/ aesthetic.

In a world much like our own, where the cobbled streets were lined with shops like the usual; bakeries, fishmongers, banks, butchers, tailors and all the necessities, and the bright blue skies were filled with different flying contraptions soaring so high that they were a mere speck beneath the clouds. This quaint little town, called Wallbabble, was much like any other town completely ordinary...on the outside.

"Rue!" Cried Aunt Mary, her trusty broom in one hand shaking it in the air frightfully as her enormous frame clambered out the tiny house. "Ruth Jenkins!"  
"Yes, ma'am?" Rue replied, hanging upside down on the old tree behind their house. Their house sat on top of the tallest hill of Wallbabble, allowing Rue to have an amazing view of the mountains, the castles- stationary and mobile, and lastly, her favourite, the magician's academy - gliding effortlessly through the clouds on gizmos and doodads that Rue had only longed to ride one day.  
"I've been calling ya' for who knows how long- ya' done ya' chores?"  
"I have, ma'am."  
"The cooking?"  
"Yes, ma'am."  
"The cleaning?"  
"Yes, ma'am."  
"What about the shopping?"  
"No, ma'am." Rue sighed heavily, rolling off the tree branch and landing with a light thump on the ground. "I haven't done the shopping yet."  
"For goodness sakes, woman!" Aunt Mary scowled whacking Rue on the thigh with the handle of her broom. "Fully grown woman still acting like a child!"  
"What's the point of growing up if all we do is cook and clean-OUCH!" Rue yelped as her aunt smacked her again, rushing her into the tiny house shouting the customary abuse at her before she could even retie her boot laces. Tripping over them, Rue fell beside the wooden house keeper's trolley. A lengthy list dangling haphazardly on the side of it and a small pouch of money weighing it down.  
"What's all this?"  
"Food for the guests tonight."  
"Guests?" Rue furrowed her eyebrows at her aunt. "Did you remember to pay the rent on time?"  
"Never you mind, girl!" Her aunt snapped at her and pushed her out of the little house before she could protest. Taking a deep breath in, Rue remembered that today was just another day. Double knotting her boot laces, she pulled on her bonnet shaped helmet, pulled the trolley back as far as the peak of the hill and positioned herself.  
Noisily clanking down the cobbled path, the children of the town scurried out of the way as Rue came rocketing down the hill.  
"Look out 'ere she comes!" The butcher cackled hysterically as Rue landed with a screeching halt right on his doorstep.  
"Afternoon, lovely weather isn’t it?" She laughed back, sharply exhaling as the adrenaline slowly left her body.  
"Haha, still the same wee lass you were all those years ago."  
"Always will be, Billy bob!" She said proudly before wheeling the trolley into his shop and placing it in the corner, out of the way. Unfastening the bonnet, she lazily tossed it onto the trolley. Reaching into her skirt pockets she pulled out the list, crestfallen, she gazed at this list as she slumped herself down onto a nearby box.  
“Where am I supposed to get all this with just twenty bees?” She grunted, counting and recounting the bronze coins in her hands before popping them back into the coin pouch. “All this will probably be worth a silly- at least!”  
“Let me...” Bill said, patting his hands dry on his apron as Rue handed him over the long list. Scratching his unkept beard, he read the list thoroughly.  
“Huh...” Bill sighed  
“What? Don’t tell me-”  
“None of this will come cheap in town.” He said bluntly, rolling the list up and handing it back to her. She shoved the list into her skirt pocket and looked at him knowingly.  
“I said DON’T tell me!”  
“It must be said!” Bill laughed, sharpening the knives before putting them away. “What is Mary thinking? Having a feast like that before the war is even finished.”  
“She said it’s inevitable that we’d win,” Rue huffed, hunching over and planting her elbows into her thighs, resting what felt like an iron shot-put ball for a head in her hands. The words ‘what should I do’ etched itself into her forehead creases as she scanned the ground, as though the answer to her problems would be hidden in the rock tiles.  
“The market’s in town, maybe they can help you...” A voice softly whispered. Looking up from her feet she stared at Bill.  
“That’s a brilliant idea!” She exclaimed joyously, grabbing the trolley and hastily wheeling it outside, “Thanks Bill!”

Without another moment to waste, she hurried herself to the lower levels of Wallbabble. The clouds up ahead darkening with grey as the sun started to set. I need to hurry! Rue thought, sprinting with the trolley in front of her. Although Rue had only experienced the marketplace a handful of times when she was just a child, today was a vastly different experience from before, as the marketplace was dazzling in a mysterious, wondrous glow. Floating candles and indescribable instruments alight the darkness that encroached passed the town walls. Merchants from different stalls shouting at the top of their lungs about their unique items, ranging in unimaginable colours, smells and sounds. Walking passed the stalls, it was almost too tempting not to touch anything. Almost.  
“Has it always been this magical..?” She trailed off in wonderment as her eyes wandered from stall to stall, distracted by it all. Instead of searching for the items for her Aunt Mary, Rue continued to gaze in awe at the magical market. Suddenly, feeling a light nudge pass her by, Rue turned to see three children running into the crowd, giggling and cackling to themselves as one of them threw an awfully familiar money pouch to the other.  
“Oi, that’s mine!” Rue shrieked, after patting herself down. Abandoning the trolley, she chased after the little pickpockets, weaving through the crowds before tackling one to the ground.  
Frightened, the child squealed. “I don’t have it!”  
Scanning the crowds, she could see the raggedy newsboy cap bobbing up and down through the crowds.  
“Hey- you little turd!” She screamed, but before she could tackle him into the ground, the boy dodged passed her and ducked into a dark alleyway. The little bugger’s trying to hide! She thought, boiling with rage as she rolled up her sleeves. I’ll show him who he’s messing with!  
Turning into the alley, Rue quickly retreated, planting her back against the wall. Catching her breath, she plucked enough courage to look again as the fear pounded in her chest; a tall figure cloaked in black, his back turned to her as the boy stood against the deadend, petrified.  
“What are you doing here, kid?” The deep raspy voice asked. His back arching closer to the boy as the boy backed up into the corner. “I asked you a question boy...”  
“Please- don’t hurt me, sir,” he whimpered, reaching into his pockets. “I won’t do it again, sir, I swear.”  
The voice lowly grunted at the boy, as the boy dropped Rue’s money pouch to the ground before darting out of the alleyway screaming at the top of his lungs that Death had come to snatch his soul. If she could laugh she would have, however, seeing the tall dark figure in front of her, it wasn’t something to take lightly. Without lifting a finger, the figure waved his hand over the pouch commanding it to drift up into his half-gloved hands. Pocketing it, the figure pulled out a piece of what seemed to be a piece of chalk, and drew a large rectangle on the stone wall and then a small circle on the right hand side.  
Gently pushing against the stone wall, Rue heard it creak open. Clasping her hand over her mouth to catch her gasps, Rue stared down the alleyway and then at the marketplace.  
If I don’t have the money, I can’t buy Auntie’s things and she’ll kill me! She thought, But if I follow Death to the afterlife, I’ll be dead!  
Watching as the figure entered up a flight of stairs, Rue gulped down her fright and marched forward. It was death both ways on her part, so she thought it would be better to die trying than to not try at all.  
The entrance soon began to close as the cloaked figure disappeared up the steps. With a dead sprint and only by the hem of her skirt catching in the doorway, Rue slipped through in the nick of time.  
Slumping to the floor, Rue took a moment to catch her breath. The moment she looked away from the entrance to the stairway, she faced a wooden spiral staircase with little crescent shaped moons on the center of each of the individual steps spiralling up and disappearing behind a red bricked wall. Stepping forward, Rue felt a pull of her skirt, forgetting that it got caught as the entrance was closing. Tugging as hard as she could, her skirt tears away sending Rue flying into the staircase with a loud crash.  
“Ow...” She groaned from the pain, rubbing the sore spot on her head.  
Out of the blue, a hand grabbed Rue by the collar of her shirt and began dragging her up the stairs away from where she had come in. A harsh grainy voice muttering a language she didn’t understand, quickly and angrily.  
“Hey-wait!” She yelled in protest, struggling to wriggle free from the stranger’s grip. Once at the top of the stairs, the door swung open on its own and like a howling wind had rushed through, it blew Rue onto the wooden chair in the centre of the room.  
The chair warped and wrapped itself around Rue’s arms and legs forcing her to stay on the chair. Unable to move, Rue scanned the room, her eyes frantically darting for a way to escape. Catching a glimpse of the stone fireplaces, instantly calmed her quaking soul as the extraordinary purple flames danced on the coals with yellow glowing eyes peering back at her. Tilting her head, the flame seemed to follow and tilted it’s head with her.  
“What are you?” Rue asked, forgetting she was ever afraid as the purple flames danced.  
The purple flame flickered, its yellow eyes flitting over to the corner of the room where the black cloaked figure stood drinking a blue liquid with red glowing flakes from a small vial.  
“You should be more concerned about your own wellbeing.” The low voice gargled, gulping down the last drop of the potion before slamming the vial onto a cluttered table.  
“Do you understand me now?” The figure said. Afraid, Rue began pulling at her restraints again, to no avail as the wooden chair held her tightly against her will.  
“I..can...” She was able to breathe the words, so frightened that she might accidentally bite her own tongue. The man leaned forward towards her, his half-gloved hands resting on the armrests of the chair, his face inches away from her’s.  
She could clearly see his petrifying scarlet eyes as he glared at her, horrid scars marked around his eyelids up to his forehead, a large gash up his right eye and one on the left side of his dry, crusted lips. The scars mostly hidden behind the long, unkempt white hair draping over his face.  
“Who sent you?” The man asked directly.  
“What?”  
“Who sent you?!” He roared hastily. “The counsel? The commission? The King?”  
“What? No!” She exclaimed perplexed. “I’m just here to get my coin pouch back!”  
Unfastening one of his gloves, he raised it to her. “I can turn you to dust if you don’t answer my questions truthfully.”  
Shutting her eyes tightly she screamed. “I’m telling the truth! The little boy stole my money and I really need it back.”  
A moment of silence went by. Opening her eyes slowly she gazed over at the man as he put back on his gloves. Pulling the coin pouch from his pocket he tossed it in front of her feet. Her eyes lit up with delight, it looked like all the money was still in there.  
“Thank goodness.” She sighed in relief.  
“How many coins are in there?” He asked her bluntly.  
“There should be twenty bees- I mean bronze coins in there,” She said honestly. “If those kids didn’t nick anything else.”  
Just like in the alleyway, the man picked up the pouch without touching it, the little sack of money hovering into his hand. Feeling the weight of the coins in the palm of his hands she saw him smirk at her.  
“Why would a magician, like you, only carry bronze pieces?”  
“Because I am not a magician!” She yelled, frustrated. “I’m just an ordinary lady, wanting to buy her auntie’s cumbersome shopping list before her big celebration tonight!”  
“Celebration?” He said quizzically. “Personal affairs?”  
“The end of the Great War!” Rue said. “The King said that with his magical army, it was inevitable that we’d win the war!”  
“And you believe that old geezer too?” Watching him smirk almost made her blood boil, insulting the King of her country so openly. Noticing her anger, he tossed the coins into her lap and snapped his fingers commanding the chair to let her go. Shoving the pouch of coins into her pocket, she looked at the man.  
“Why must you hate the King so much?”  
“Why do you love him so much?” He asked in return. “Conscripting his own to die for him haphazardly, turning magic against one another, you must be mad to believe he is a benevolent king.”  
“Don’t talk about him like that!”  
“Then attack, assassin, like you were trained to do.”  
Charging at him, she started swinging punches that he easily avoided. He was quick.  
“Aren’t you going to use magic?” He asked, his voice hoarse and scratchy.  
Angrily sweeping her leg under, she thought she had him as her boot made contact with his leg, but he didn’t buckle. Instead the man was afloat. His body weightlessly levitating above her.  
“My turn...” he croaked.  
Within one quick motion, Rue found herself on the ground, paralyzed.  
“I believe she was telling the truth, master.” A firm voice said clearly.  
“Can never be too careful.” The man said, stretching his hunched back, the cracking audible from where Rue was on the ground. “Where was I last?”  
“Wallbabble, master.”  
Sighing heavily, the man drifted out of her vision. Coming back into view, he pulled his black cloak over her body, keeping her warm as she lay there on the cold hard floor.  
“Tend to her, Kurogiri, I’ll see to the sigil for Wallbabble.”  
“Yes, master.”  
Wondering who was talking, Rue tried to move her head, but she felt so groggy, the fatigue quickly clouding her mind with nothing but dreams and slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of crackling and the smell of bacon filled the air, waking Rue from her slumber.   
Opening her eyes, she gazed in amazement at her surroundings, the sunlight beaming through the circular window above the rafters, its stained glass glittering little dust particles in its glow. With immense effort, Rue hoisted herself off the couch, her muscles ached and her joints popped with every part she moved.   
How long was I out for?  
Wrapping the black fabric around her she felt the frosty morning air nipping at her toes. Where are my socks and shoes? She wondered, her gaze flitting back and forth. A chill ran down her spine as she remembered that this was not her home.  
“They were filthy, so I washed them, they’re by the window drying.” A gentle voice echoed from above. Startled, she twisted around to meet the voice, a man with purple flames for a head, standing on the edge looking down at her with glowing yellow eyes, his sleeves rolled up as one hand held a frying pan from the bottom as it projected flames from his fingertips.  
“The Young master will send you home as soon as the sigil for Wallbabble is ready.” The purple flames flickered as his other hand flipped the bacon. “Come up. Breakfast is ready.”  
“T-thank you?” Rue said gratefully confused. Was it normal for kidnappers to treat their hostages so nicely? Thinking back to the night before, she hurried up the stairs to the kitchen area nearly tripping over the black cloak as she sped across the floor, barefoot.  
“Y-yesterday- I-”  
“Forgive the young master, he has been very cautious with people nowadays. He means well, but for the sake of his colleagues and himself he must stay vigilant. Toast?”  
Gesturing his hand towards the chair with bread being toasted right in front of her eyes, Rue sat down complacently, as her mouth watered from the smell of the delicious food.  
“Please. Eat.” The purple flame stated. The plate sitting in front of her. It must be poisoned. She thought, looking at it from different angles searching for signs of tampering. However, the food just glistened invitingly on the plate, the aroma causing her mouth to drool.  
“Please. Eat.” They repeated themselves. “Unless it’s not to your liking?”  
Hesitant at first, Rue picked up her fork and stabbed the yolk, its gooey centre slowly trickling down and hugging the bacon. She couldn’t take it anymore. This might be my only chance to eat, if I die, at least I’d have a decent meal beforehand. With the side of her fork she cut into the bacon and egg and shoved it straight into her gob. The egg was so soft and the bacon was smokey, rich in flavour. She never had food so fresh. Realising that she was eating on her own she glanced over to the purple one as they plated another serving.  
“Did you sleep well?” The voice asked without looking up from perfectly placing the egg on top of the bacon.  
“Fine. Thank you.” Was all she was able to say.  
“It does get awfully chilly up here,” they said, looking absent-mindedly through the small kitchen window by the sink. “The young master thought it best for you to have his enchanted cloak.”  
She clutched the cloak still draped over her shoulders with her free hand. For something so thin it was surprisingly very warm. “Tell him, thank you, it was very thoughtful of him.”  
“Understood.” They said.  
“Oh- I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Ruth Jenkins- Rue for short.”  
“A pleasure, Madam Ruth-”  
“Rue is fine.”  
“Very well, Madam Rue-”  
“Just Rue- no madam needed, sir...erm...”  
“Kurogiri, madam.” He said, undeterred. “The young master goes by Tomura Shigaraki.”  
“Rather strange names...” She clapped her hands over her mouth but it was too late, the words had escaped her lips. Me and my big gob! She thought. They’d kill me for sure now!  
Instead she heard a wheezing noise, almost like the flame was trying to stifle back laughter.  
“We are from a different land, so it is only natural that you think our names are strange.” They said, noticing her body language they followed up with, “Please do not fret, we are not going to hurt you, it was merely a misunderstanding yesterday.”  
“So you were telling the truth early, about sending me home?”  
“Yes.” They said bluntly. “It’s not safe for non-magician folk to be in a magician’s place of work.”  
Her ears pricked up. “Did you say magician!?”  
Reeling back slightly, Kurogiri nodded, their flames bobbing.  
“Please let me stay!” She pleaded. “I’ve always wanted to be a magician’s apprentice- this could be my chance to finally fulfill that dream!”  
“Just a moment ago you thought we were going to hurt you.” Kurogiri said. “In addition, you must bear in mind that the young master isn’t looking for an apprentice at this moment in time.”  
Rue looked at Kurogiri, a long pause hung in the air before Rue spoke again. “Are you his apprentice?”  
“Gods, no!” Kurogiri shouted, startling Rue with the sudden whistling of steam. “I am merely here to serve the young master, whilst his father is away, I must watch over him.”  
Kurogiri exhaled a long sigh, the steam emitting from the flames. Glancing over at the bright eyed girl, they knew she wasn’t going to let her dream slip from her grasp when it’s in arm’s reach.   
“Forgive me for being rude, but I implore you to give up on your dream of becoming a magician.” Kurogiri said softly. Before Rue could protest, they continued. “The world of magicians has taken a turn for the worse, two sides held back by a hair’s breadth from unleashing hellfire upon this earth. The young master and many others like him are in the middle, dealing with the crossfire of the two sides.”  
“The War between the Royal Family and the Wild Ones...”  
“Correct.”  
“So...what are you saying?”  
“To put it in Layman’s terms, it is far too dangerous for one as young as yourself to venture down this path. I suggest, for your own safety that you stay away from magic as best as you can.”  
Slumping back onto her chair, the room fell deathly silent. Rue watched as Kurogiri took the plate to another room without another word from their purple flamed head.  
Crestfallen, Rue picked at her food slowly. Before she could even start her dream it was already over. She wanted more than anything to cast magic and go on wondrous adventures around the world, but now, all she could think of was her aunt’s little home upon the hill, doing nothing but monotonously answering her aunt’s beck and call, dying of boredom.  
After she finished her breakfast, she took it over to the sink to wash up her plate. Dousing her face in icy cold water, she clapped her hands on her cheeks, soaking in the pain. It’s not over yet! She thought optimistically, there’s still a whole world out there. Someone’s bound to give me a…   
Just as she looked beyond the window sill, she saw the frosty glacier pass. The high mountains were now small little hills before her with a thick layer of snow blanketed all around her. Gobsmacked, Rue stared at the pure white, untouched canvas of land.  
“Time to go exploring!” She said aloud as she pulled on her stockings and fastened her boots and wrapped the enchanted cloak around her tightly before flinging the door open.  
“Wow...” She gawked at the mountains, a faint icy wind nipping slightly at her nose. Stepping out into the snow, it crunched loudly, satisfying her ears. What started as a light stroll ended up becoming a sprint to the edge of the hillside where she saw a glistening lake. If this was her only time to have fun she was determined to make the most of it before going back to her mundane life with her aunt.  
Sliding rapidly down the hillside towards the lake, she heard a howling in the wind it nipped at her ears and her face before coming to a gradual stop at the bottom.  
Staring at the lake, it was like a sheet of glass, completely transparent all the way to the bottom. Taking a rock, she threw it as hard as she could into the lake. Barely a crack appeared.  
Bravely, she tiptoed out. One step at a time. “It’s so smooth.” She slid across the ice effortlessly.  
“Madam Rue!” Rue heard from the other side of the ice. Twirling around, she gazed over to the two figures standing on the other side of the frozen lake, never noticing that she had slid way too far out onto the ice.  
“Get back here! It’s dangerous!” The other figure shouted, his white hair matching the snow.  
“It’s fine!” Rue called back, carefully trying to slide her way back to them. “The ice is really thick!”  
“Not the ice, you fool!”  
Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over her. The smell of rotten fish and faeces choked her as the creature approached from behind. Turning to face the creature, a pair of inky black eyes on the face of a grotesque amalgamation of human and bear glared back. Too frightened to even scream, Rue stood petrified as the creature unhinged its gaws to swallow her whole.  
“Young Master-”  
Snatching the back of the cloak, Rue felt her body being tossed into the air landing onto a thick pile of snow cushioning her fall. Within seconds, the hybrid creature had been reduced to a pile of fleshy lumps, its blood staining the ice.  
The young master knelt before the pile searching for something, one of his hands were gloved with the thumb and index finger exposed and the other hand was soaked in the creature’s blood. In his mouth he held the missing glove, a strange sigil patterned the palms of each glove. His long white hair covered most of his face, his shoes now stained red but his garments were also black matching his gloves.  
“W-w-what was that thing?” Rue asked shakily as her knees wobbled in an attempt to get on her feet. The young master didn’t reply and began to rummage through the mound of flesh. Turning away, Rue threw up into the snow staining it with the colourful hues of her breakfast.  
“Malagma’s...the mixture and blending of man and beast.” Kurogiri stated, handing Rue a handkerchief to wipe herself clean. “The Royal family have been...busy.”  
Rue refused to turn back around to the lake, she couldn’t stomach it.  
“The Royal family..? Why would they do such a thing?”  
“They believe monsters should be fought with their own monsters.” A coarse voice said behind her. Reluctant to turn around, she could feel his gaze angrily piercing the back of her head, the sounds of leather and skin as he put back on his glove. “Why did you leave the house?”  
“I...” She stammered. She didn’t really have a good reason, just a silly one.  
“Bears are the most aggressive when hibernating, if Kurogiri didn’t notice you missing you would’ve been malagma food.”  
She turned around to face him, his piercing red eyes glistening in the glare of the snow. His skin around his eyes were scarred horrifically and his lips were as dry as parchment. His skin was very pale making the blemishes all the more visible.  
“I-I’m sorry, for leaving the house.” She snapped herself out of staring. “It was the first time I’d seen so much snow, I couldn’t resist.”  
“Are you a child?”  
“I am not a child!” She huffed angrily.  
“Could’ve fooled me.” He said bluntly and walked past her giving her a wide berth. “Giri, it looks like another one. Their marks are the same.”  
“Poor soul.” Kurogiri whispered as the young master handed him a blood soaked handkerchief double knotted around what Rue could only guess came from the creature.  
“We need to warn the others as soon as possible.”  
“Right away, sir.” Kurogiri said post haste. Being the first to disappear back into the house. The man looked back at Rue as she trailed behind them, still angry that he called her a child as she continued to stay in this awkward silence. Standing in the doorway, the young master stared at her, hoping that she would speak. Instead, Rue crossed her arms, furrowed her eyebrows and flopped back into the snow, making a snow angel. Taking her pettiness to another level.  
“If you’ve had your fun, I suggest you go home now.” He said sternly.  
Rue glanced at him, uncrossing her arms and unfurrowing her eyebrows as the dread of going home was finally upon her. She looked around her, taking in as much as she could of this place. Cold yet freeing. The young master, headed inside and Rue followed closely after, closing the door firmly behind her. She scanned the rooms one by one as she passed them, taking in the wonderful colours and weirdly whacky nicknacks that lined the shelves and cluttered tables. Down the same set of stairs she came up from. The brick wall had a familiar symbol drawn like a doorway with chalk.  
“Do I have to leave?”  
“It’s what’s best, for all of us.” He said. “You saw, first hand, what we’re fighting against. You know how dangerous it is...”  
“I-I know...” She whispered softly under her breath. “...but still...”  
He pushed open the door like normal, and the bricks swung open. On the other side was the alleyway that led away from the marketplace.   
“All the best to you.” He said, a hint of sympathy in his voice.  
“And to you too...” Rue replied back, unable to keep the sadness from creeping up. 

She wiped the tears and moved forward. Exiting the alleyway, Rue watched her boots clacking against the cobbles of the streets as she let them take her home. Her foot clomped on a long plank of wood, then she stubbed her toe against a huge pile of bricks. Unavoidably, her boots crunched against shattered glass scattered across the cobbled path. “What in the world..?”   
Looking up from the ground, a thin layer of smog hung in the air, the buildings, once whole, were now shambles of their former selves as bricks and window panes lay broken and shattered by her feet. Denying what she was seeing, she began to sprint down the cobbled streets, her boots lightly tapping the cobbles the faster she ran.  
“This can’t be!” She cried as she was met with more and more of the ruins of her town. As she stopped to catch her breath, an eerie silence fell upon her as her mind tried to process it all, the panging of her heart drumming in her ears. It was too much for her to handle and she collapsed to her knees, too shocked to weep as her eyes fixed themselves to the ruins.  
“Nice cloak.” A deep, almost seductive voice called out to her. Emerging from the ruins was a woman, draped in royal colours, wearing thick riding boots and on her belt; carrying a small glass chamber leading up to a pipe in her hands. She inhaled it deeply, fluttering her eyelids in delight before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. “Where did you get it?”  
“Who are you and what did you do to Wallbabble?”  
“Hey, I asked a question first!” She mocked as she sauntered over to Rue who jolted back onto her feet and backed away from the stranger. “Fine, I’ll go first, then you, alright, fair?” The stranger huffed, raising her hands with the pipe in between her teeth, showing she wasn’t holding anything else.  
“Smoky, Second Lieutenant of the Royal Forces.” She smirked. “After evacuating the town that we believed to be hiding a fugitive of the law, we smoked out what we could to find them, ta-daa! Now it’s your turn-”  
“Wait- what fugitive?”  
Huffing and puffing she pouted at Rue. “Boo! You didn’t answer MY question. Fine, one last time; Sighting a tall figure cloaked in black, witnessed by a child and the merchants of the market, Tomura Shigaraki- wanted for Cowardice and Treason.”  
“Shigaraki...” Rue whispered, clutching the cloak around her tightly.  
“Now that I’ve answered all your questions, it’s time to answer mine!” She smiled sadistically. “Where are you hiding him?”  
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”  
“Wrong answer!” She grinned, blowing the smoke around Rue smothering her in the fumes. Deprived of air, Rue dropped to the ground, her vision blurred as her knees and hands began to ache painfully as the shattered glass pierced through her skin. Before she passed out, the smoke lifted away from her and she was able to breathe again.  
“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to have to report another act of treason!” She smiled happily, crouching down and grabbing a handful of Rue’s hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck. “I’m not allowed to take prisoners today, so! Make this easier for yourself, and tell me where he is so you can go back to your happy, simple, little life.”  
Gritting her teeth, Rue painfully grabbed a handful of glass and threw it into the Lieutenant’s face. Shrieking in pain, she released Rue’s hair as her hands hovered over her eyes.  
“AAAAAAAHHHH!” She wailed. Without another moment to lose, Rue raced down back to the marketplace and away from the psychotic soldier.

Racing down the declining street, her eyes darted over to the familiar face standing at the edge of the alleyway. His white hair shone brilliantly against the town’s dark stones.  
“OI!!!” Rue shrieked at the top of her lungs.  
“I just came to get my cloak-Agh!”  
Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! She thought interrupting him with a brief hug, her lungs on fire from sprinting. “Quick- we have to go!” She managed to finally say, “The Royals are here to capture you!”  
“What?”  
Abruptly, a blood curdling cry echoed into the empty street of Wallbabble. Screaming down the street, riding on a cloud of smoke came the Second Lieutenant, her face drenched in her own blood but her eyes were wide open. Grabbing the cuff of his sleeve, Rue ran down the alleyway to the door dragging a speechless magician behind her.  
We’re gonna make it! Rue thought too soon as an uneven cobble caused her to slip, sending her rolling forward back onto the ground. With the door so close she looked behind her, the Lieutenant closing in on them with a thick layer of smoke. Fearing the worst, she closed her eyes.  
“You really are a child.” Shigaraki whispered softly, opening her eyes, she watched as he bit down onto his gloves freeing his hands and slamming them into the ground. The ground began to shake violently as a split began to rapidly form causing the building to collapse on the Lieutenant.  
“It won’t hold her for long.” He said, shoving his hands back into his gloves.  
“Two...buildings...won’t...live...” Rue gasped in awe as she tried to get herself up.  
“It takes more than that to kill a cockroach.” He sighed, hoisting her up in his arms and quickly retreating into the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking up in a cold sweat, Rue’s unnerved gaze darted around the room. She had a nightmare of the psycho Lieutenant attacking her again. Her crazed smile was stuck in Rue’s mind and the shrieking was forever ringing in her ears. It had been four days since the incident with the second Lieutenant, Smoky. Shigaraki was right, even after toppling a building on her she was still alive under all that rubble and debris. Smoky made it clear to the whole country that Rue was now a wanted criminal for helping a fugitive of the law escape. Even if they found the evacuees of Wallbabble, she couldn’t return to them now that she was branded a criminal.  
Unable to sleep with the imagery stuck in her head and the scratchy dryness of the smoke left in her throat, she wrapped the cloak around her tightly and limped slowly to the kitchen for a glass of water. 

Entering the kitchen, Rue quietly tiptoed to the sink, trying her best not to wake the sleeping Kurogiri as they soundly slept on top of their generous stack of coals. A lovely purple glow illuminated the room calming her a little. She looked at Kurogiri’s handiwork, the bandages on her hands, knees and her ankle, hugging her wounds comfortably. She thanked the Gods that her ankle wasn’t broken and with Shigaraki’s potion, he was able to relieve some of the swelling.  
Absent-mindedly, Rue stared out of the window. The night sky was alight with stars as the moon was nowhere in sight. Quietly she gazed at them twinkle and shimmer.  
“You should be resting.” Shigaraki’s croaky voice whispered from the doorway. Startled, Rue nearly dropped the glass of water.  
“Why do you feel the need to do that?!” She hissed at him under her breath.  
“Do what?”  
“Startling me-” Coughing, she gulped down the rest of the water, putting the empty glass on the window sill. She glanced over to Kurogiri who was still sound asleep. “The day before yesterday, yesterday night, and tonight, we need to put a bell on you or something.”  
“And ruin the fun, not a chance.”  
“Ah- Cheeky- doing it on purpose!” Rue hissed under her breath, punching him in the arm lightly as he pulled up a chair next to her. It was strange that within four nights, Rue felt like she had become much closer to Shigaraki than she ever did in the multiple years living with her aunt. There weren’t any personal subjects that they shared between each other, but he sat by her and told her stories to comfort the night terrors. From his stories she picked up that they were the same age, loved dogs, had a hidden sweet tooth, had horrible allergies that potions can’t fix, and the best one, he hated the word ‘moist’. Tonight was no exception.  
“What do you love most about the night sky?” Rue asked as the two of them face upwards witnessing shooting stars darting past the inky black night sky. Scratching his neck as he thought about his answer, Rue impulsively placed her hand over his to stop him from scratching.  
“I’d say...the constellations.” He said, pointing up at three stars close to one another. “It’s like putting puzzles together, you find his belt then you find the rest of him.”  
From star to star, Shigaraki was able to point out ‘Orion the Hunter’. “My dad taught me that, told me that if I ever got lost, I can use the stars to find my way...”  
“Maybe he can teach me, one day.” Rue said without thinking and clapped her hands over her mouth, biting her tongue. Stifling back his laughter, Rue watched as Shigaraki pulled his hair back away from his face, his eyes were as red as fresh roses, and beyond the scary scars he was kind, funny and handsome.  
“What about you?”  
“Er- what?” Rue snapped back into reality.  
“What’s your favourite thing about the night sky, how can you forget your own question?”  
“I didn’t forget...I was just thinking about my answer.” Rue blushed diverting her gaze up into the sky. Even though it was her question, she didn’t have an answer. “I think...oh! Oh!” she exclaimed, pulling at Shigaraki’s sleeve. She pointed up at the sky as one of the fluffy clouds drifted away revealing the moon.  
“It was hidden the entire night.” Rue laughed.  
“So it was.” He agreed.  
“Isn’t the moon beautiful?”  
There was a long pause as Rue glanced over to see Shigaraki had turned his head away, the tips of his ears were glowing red and his hand was covering his mouth.  
“What’s the matter?” Rue asked, “Do you feel sick?”  
“I-I’m fine.” He stammered. The silence continued as the two continued to stargaze. Slowly the sky was covered by clouds and the snow began to fall gently, thickening the blanket of snow around the mountain.  
Feeling the cold starting to nip at her toes, she curled herself up onto her chair. Wrapping half the cloak around Shigaraki, she cuddled closer to his warmth and watched the snow fall.  
“Thank you for lending me your cloak.” She said, leaning against his shoulder. The light fragrance of herbs and oils from working on remedies and potions for his clients all day was evident on his clothes.  
“A bit late for that isn’t it?” She heard him whisper, leaning his head on hers as she watched his hands curling around his sides as he crossed his arms.  
“Maybe...” She yawned, feeling the fatigue creeping up on her. “Better late than never.”  
Rue couldn’t help but stare at the gloves covering the majority of his hands, the sigil was nothing she had seen before and in the small pockets of time she had, she was able to sneak into his room to look at his magic books, she had never seen a sigil like this one.  
“You still won’t teach me magic will you?” Rue said under her breath.  
“You’re still traumatised by the last encounter you had with a magician,” Shigaraki said, “it’ll only get worse if I teach you.”  
“What could be worse than being branded a fugitive of the law and an outcast from my town?” She asked. She was now resting on her hands looking up at the magician. He was much taller than her and it was hard for her to look intimidating with her height.  
Shigaraki looked down at the girl, her hair matching the inky black night sky and her bright green eyes were what he’d picture the blissful summer fields to be. Instead of recovering her health, he watched as Rue would sneak to his room to admire the contents of his spellbooks and remedies. Even when he was a boy, he was never that eager to learn magic. Even though she faced an ordeal that left her unable to sleep, she was still determined to learn.  
“You must see this as a silver lining.” Shigaraki muttered to himself as he pulled the cloak from his shoulder around the girl, replacing the chair under the table before heading over to the door.  
“Where are you going?” Rue asked, standing up too quickly and falling back into her chair.  
“Getting you ready.”  
“For what?”  
“Preliminary exams.” Without another word, Shigaraki left the room.  
Speechless, Rue sat in the purple hue kitchen. Did he just..? She thought, replaying what he said over and over again in her mind. She couldn’t help but smile widely. She was going to learn magic.  
“How wonderful that the young master has made a friend...” A quiet voice yawned from the fireplace. Putting her chair back, Rue waddled over to Kurogiri, his body looked long like a snake as they wrapped themselves around the coals, pulling what little was left closer to their purple flames.  
“Does he not make friends often?” She asked, grabbing a few coals from the side and placing them in front of the fiery one.  
“Not this quickly...” They said tiredly. Their yellow eyes blinked open, squinting through the tiredness to look up at the bright eyed girl. “Not since Magne’s passing.”  
“He lost someone?”  
“A fellow magician. At the beginning of this War...” Kurogiri said through another yawn, “He wanted to stop you from meeting the same fate but we can both see that we can’t stop you...we can only prepare you for what’s to come.”  
Rue looked at the bandages around her wounds. It still scared her thinking about the second Lieutenant and how she commanded the fumes to engulf her. She felt powerless. She felt weak. She didn’t want to feel like that again, and sitting in hiding wasn’t going to benefit anybody.  
“On behalf of the young master and I, we do humbly apologize for dragging you into this mess.” Kurogiri mumbled, “if it weren’t for the misunderstanding, you’d never have-”  
“It’s alright.” Rue interjected. “It’s all in the past now, we can’t change what’s happened.”  
She pushed the coals forward so that they were easier for Kurogiri to reach. Pulling her arms through the sleeves of the cloak, she bid Kurogiri a good night, for how many hours of it was left at least, and made her way back to the coach, where she slept dreamlessly for the next few hours.

“That old hag...” Rue said through gritted teeth staring angrily at the newspaper in front of her.  
Right in the centre of the front page read: “Dangerous Woman Helps Criminal Escape!”  
Her full description and a fairly recent picture that she could only assume her aunt must have given to the Royals, slap bang in the centre of the article. The entire nation now knew to look for a woman with long black hair and green eyes, medium build and a simple navy dress.  
“You should eat your breakfast, before it goes cold.” Kurogiri said as they tapped her plate with the tip of their fork. Folding the newspaper, Rue threw it onto the kitchen counter and out of sight. She couldn’t believe her luck, because of this, Shigaraki had postponed the first day of magic training, telling her the place they were meant to go would pass through major cities which would inevitably lead to their capture by the Royal Forces.  
Scoffing down her breakfast, Rue finished up quickly to go cool down in the snow.  
“Don’t wander too far.”  
“I’ll be right here!” She shouted, trying not to be so mad at Kurogiri. It wasn’t their fault all this happened. She folded her arms and dropped onto the thick blanket of snow, her form nearly disappearing completely underneath it. She stared at the clouds as tiny snowflakes began to fall. Suddenly, a simple yet brilliant thought popped into her head.  
“Kurogiri!” She yelled, scuttling out of the snow and falling face first into the house. “I need to borrow some clothes!”  
“I only have clothes suitable for men.” They said bluntly.  
“That’s the idea!” She replied, “I also need scissors.”  
“I assume it’s for cutting your hair?”  
“Precisely.”  
“Madam, why would you do such a thing?”  
“As you’re well aware, I want to learn magic.” She said matter-of-factly, as she tied up her long black locks into a very tight ponytail. “If my appearance as a woman is going to impede that, then I will simply stop appearing as one.”  
“Are you sure this is what you want to sacrifice for the sake of learning magic.”  
“A small price to pay.” She replied without hesitation. Rue extended her hand to the fiery one for the pair of sharp silver shears in their hands, however Kurogiri did not give it to her, instead they pulled a chair out in front of them and gestured for her to sit down.  
“Then I will cut it properly, for you.”  
“Oh thank you!” She yelped in glee, and without thinking, jumped up to give them a hug.  
The startled flames leapt free from Kurogiri’s head and at Rue. Holding up her arms to shield her face, the flame caught onto the sleeve of her dress, the threads going up in smoke as it began to run up it, biting violently at her skin as soon as they touched her, burning badly. Racing frantically to the sink, Rue doused herself in water trying to extinguish it, but the magic purple flame was tenacious and glared up at her through its amber eyes wickedly, and persisted to singe her neck to her cheek.  
“Stop!” She screeched. Grabbing the tiny wicked flame with both hands before it could reach her eyes, Rue plunged it into the sink, holding down the foul thing, watching until the flame died under the soapy dish water.  
Once the sizzling had silenced, Rue took a moment to catch her breath, the adrenaline pumping through her body and panging in her ears. “What was that?!” She gasped.  
“A rogue spark.” Kurogiri said and began apologising profusely. They were standing in the doorway with Shigaraki who was holding a jar of deep sea green liquid. Rushing over to where Rue stood, Shigaraki checked the area looking for the evil spark.  
“It’s gone.” Rue said, realising what he was searching for. “I drowned it in the sink.”  
Shigaraki drained the water and removed any pots still soaking there, the gloves around his hands were now drenched in the soapy dish water but the sigil remained brilliantly white on the palms.  
“Curious.” He murmured aloud. He handed her the jar of greeny sludge and told her to soothe the burns with it. She grabbed a mirror and looked at the damage the little cretin had caused as a giant pink and red mark ran down her face, neck and arm ending at her wrist. Her dress was badly singed and the majority of her hair was too. Rue felt grateful that she had put up her hair in a ponytail beforehand, otherwise she feared she would have ended up bald.  
For the next couple of minutes, as Rue soothed her burns, she watched as Shigaraki and Kurogiri looked for the rogue flame. She told them what had happened repeatedly, but Shigaraki wanted to make doubly sure as the last time he let a rogue flame go, it nearly burnt the entire house down.  
The green goo had rapidly healed the burn into a pink scar like torn bark from a tree. What should have taken months to heal only took a couple of minutes. Fascinated, Rue closed the lid on the jar and patted it like the good little goo jar it was. She hoped to learn the recipe for this green goo someday. Once they decided to quit searching, Shigaraki came over to inspect the wound.  
“Curious...” He murmured again, his gloved hands turning over her own. As soon as he snapped out of his trance, he picked up the pot and rushed out of the room silently. Rue was ever so confused.  
“Did I do something wrong?” Rue asked Kurogiri whose yellow flames for eyes drooped sadly.  
“You didn’t do anything, madam.” They said. “However, do be careful next time, I could have hurt you much worse than this.”  
Kurogiri explained that the suit they wore was enchanted to keep the flames from interfering with their duties to serve Shigaraki, and that they could go wherever they pleased as long as all the flames were happily snug in the fibres of the suit.  
“So what happened to this flame, was it sad being stuffed in the suit?” Rue asked.  
“On the contrary.” Kurogiri said. “I believe he simply wanted his personal space and you know you crossed that line rather brashly.”  
“I know now...” She said sadly, taking the ribbon out of her hair looking at the singed ends. She sighed and looked up at them.“I’m sorry, I drowned him in the dish water.”  
Kurogiri let out an uproarious laughter that seemed completely out of the ordinary for them. “You can’t simply drown a pyre spirit.”  
“But I...” Rue started to say but stopped herself. She decided to leave the matter be. Whatever happened to the spirit, she at least hoped that the poor thing won’t decide to appear in the middle of the night and burn the house down to a crisp.  
“Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we?” Kurogiri said, holding the shears in their hands. Rue sat there and let them cut her hair. Pyre Souls...She thought. Just these two words piqued her interest.  
“What are Pyre Souls?” She started.  
“Souls that are still alive even after death, burning bright even in the darkest corners of the universe.” Kurogiri said, the satisfying noise of the scissors snipping at her hair. “You’ll be learning all this soon in your studies.”  
“Are there many of you?” She asked.  
Snip, snip, snip.  
“There is only one of me and I am here to serve the young master.” Kurogiri said almost monotone. “That is what his father wanted.”  
Snip, snip, snip.  
“Are you happy being here?”  
“It’s not about being happy, we made a deal.” Kurogiri said, making their way to the front. “It is so the young master is never alone.”  
“Alone...” Rue repeated. “Why couldn’t his dad be here with him, if he didn’t want him to be lonely?”  
There was a pause in the conversation and the silence was noticeable. Kurogiri sighed, grabbing the mirror from the table and looking at themself in the reflection.  
“Parents will always do the wrong thing for the right reason...” Kurogiri finally said. Handing over the mirror to Rue, she gasped in amazement at their handiwork.  
“Enough with the doom and gloom, you should clean yourself up.” They said, “I am sure I still have some of the young master’s old clothes tucked away somewhere in the house.”  
He began to mutter to themself that once they found the clothes they’d have to wash and dry them before Rue could even think of wearing them. She said she didn’t mind, but they insisted. Trying not to argue, she went to the bathroom to freshen up, telling Kurogiri that she will take her time.

“Who would’ve thought trousers would be so comfy...” Rue said looking at herself in the long standing mirror. She barely recognised herself, her black hair was short and fluffy like puppy’s fur and Shigaraki’s old clothes fit like a dream; high waistband trousers, dark navy with deep pockets hugging her legs gave her dimension and the linen shirt was light and breathable unlike the corsets she loathed so much, she was much happier to have gotten rid of the rigid old thing. Underneath the linen shirt she wore a vest and on top of it a matching navy waistcoat. She loved the little details that lined the hems of the waistcoat. If it hadn’t been for Shigaraki, she would have never noticed the lining had the constellations of the stars mapped out and labelled by a thin golden stitch. Plunging her hands into the trouser pockets she danced a little in front of the mirror giddily.  
“Having fun?” Shigaraki said, startling her.  
“You scared me half to death!” She exclaimed, putting her hand over her heart before it had a chance to leap out of her chest. “But yes, I’m having fun.”  
She gave him a twirl and curtsied.  
“If you’re going to pretend,” He mocked, giving a very gentlemanly bow. “Then do it right.”  
“How much do you know about etiquette?”  
“Enough.” Shigaraki smirked at her through his white locks.  
“Like this?” She copied how he had bowed. Glancing up, she saw him grinning behind the shadow of his hair. His ruby red eyes gazing at her with a look of nostalgia. She stood up straight again, putting her hands into her pockets.  
“What?” She asked. Watching as he caught himself smiling.  
“You just reminded me of someone when I started my studies here a long time ago.” Shigaraki said softly. “An old friend, who also went by the name of Jenkins.”  
“It’s a very common surname here in England.” She said. “Do you two still keep in touch?”  
“Unfortunately not.” He said, “We lost contact as soon as this idiotic war started. I know he still works for the King, so I can’t risk sending him anything that can give me away - I don’t know if he is an ally or not and if he was, he’d be in the same boat as we are.”  
“Branded as criminals...” Rue said bluntly. She pushed her hands further into the pockets and realised that there was no end to how far her hands could go. “How deep are these pockets?!”  
She heard Shigaraki cackle as he leaned in closer to her, still seated on his chair.  
“Holding Spell,” Shigaraki grinned at his craftsmanship. “Took me forever to stitch the enchantment into the seams, teachers couldn’t figure out my trick and the possibilities of what I was able to store in there were endless.”  
“Cheeky through and through.” Rue teased as her arms reappeared from the bottomless pockets, “What were the worst things you’ve ever smuggled into the school?” She asked curiously.  
“Loads. Japanese sweets, practical jokes, oh! My father had sent us a box of fireworks from China and I wanted to show it off to...” He paused. “To have fun, the instructions said to light them when it was dark so Jenkins and I enchanted the school roof to be as dark as the night sky and shot them up into the air. The amount of trouble we were in afterwards...”  
“Do you miss it?”  
Shigaraki contemplated the question for a moment. “When you learn how to jump from place to place in a blink of an eye, it’s not hard to miss a place but the people...yes...Yes, I miss them...”  
Rue thought about her parents, before she moved in with Aunt Mary, she remembered how busy they were. Her father was constantly hunched over a table creating concoctions for clients whilst her mother was hardly ever seen home. She was always away fighting monsters.  
“Did you resent them for it?” Shigaraki asked her. Rue jolted, realising now that she was talking aloud about her family.  
“It’s strange, I should, but I don’t.” Rue said and ran her finger along the scar on her arm. “I always thought, when I finally go off to magic school, I’ll be able to spend time with them doing all that magic stuff...I guess I still think that to a degree...”  
“What stopped you?”  
“My Aunt.” She whispered. “Never liked the idea of it all.”  
“She’s a smart lady.” Shigaraki said. Rue hissed at him. “I side with her because magic is dangerous. You know we told you to stop your pursuit in magic and now it’s too late.”  
“I know! I know!” She admitted. Feeling the guilt welling up in her stomach from all the times she resented her Aunt for trying to protect her.  
“So your parents.” Shigaraki asked. “Where are they based?”  
“I...I don’t know.” She laughed drily. “I guess we’re on the same boat when it comes to missing parents.”  
The two of them exchanged ironic laughter before exhaling heavily. At least we have another thing in common. Rue thought. Just as the silence started to settle in, the sound of shuffling bricks could be heard from downstairs followed by footsteps. Kurogiri came through the door holding two full baskets of groceries and looked at the two.  
“What’s happened?” Kurogiri asked, thinking of the worst case scenario as they began placing the baskets down onto the kitchen table and sorting everything into the pantry.  
“That’s a lot of food.” Rue said quickly coming over to help them, changing the topic. “Won’t all of this spoil?”  
“Not at all.”  
Rue looked closely into the pantry as Kurogiri passed her fruit and vegetables, and saw the wood of the doorway had etchings of symbols all over the inside lining all around it.  
“Nifty spell...” She said, not completely understanding what the spell was but enough to know it kept the food from going off. The amount of times she could have saved money when she was with her aunt and food would spoil, this would have saved her so much trouble.  
“What were the two of you discussing before I came in?” Kurogiri asked. The two looked at each other. Rue gave Shigaraki a reassuring smile, and he returned one his lips slightly cracking like parchment.  
“Nothing in particular.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name "Rue" for a boy means regret.  
> In Japan, "Isn't the Moon beautiful?" Is a poetic way of confessioning your love to someone.


	4. Chapter 4

Tirelessly pacing around the kitchen, Rue waited for the first light of day. She felt like she had slept enough and had herself dressed and ready hours before the time Shigaraki had planned for them to be leaving.  
“You’re still up?” Kurogiri asked, slowly getting themselves out of the bed of coals and into the fire proof suit laying on the side of the fireplace. They opened up the door to the pantry and started to lay things out onto the kitchen table. Grabbing one of the baskets, Kurogiri dressed the inside of the basket with a cushion and filled it with sandwiches and bottles of juice.  
“I couldn’t sleep, I was too excited.”  
“Was?” Kurogiri chuckled, “You still are.” They grabbed the kettle, filled it with water and threw his hand on top of the remaining coals to boil the water with. One handed, Kurogiri grabbed two cups and popped in two tea bags and two sugars in each. Filling the two with the now boiled water, they placed one in front of Rue and the other by an empty seat. Grabbing the milk from the pantry, they placed it in the centre of the table and Rue, whilst stirring her own cup, poured in the right amount for her before removing the teabag.  
“I know he said not to worry about bringing anything, but what if I need something...” She said worried.  
“With all due respect,” Kurogiri said. “You’ve only been living here for five days, there isn’t much of anything for you to bring.”  
Exhaling heavily, Rue nodded to Kurogiri’s words. She didn’t really have anything but her aunt’s old purse. She pulled it from the bottomless pockets and stroked her thumbs on the worn out pattern. There weren’t many bronze pieces in there to begin with but she thought maybe this was at least the start of her repaying what she owed to them for letting her learn magic. Before she could put it onto the table, Shigaraki placed three fingers on top of the purse and pressed it down.  
“You better not...” He said calmly, “Keep it for yourself.”  
He grabbed the milk daintily and poured it into his cup, barely stirring it before having it in one gulp. Letting out a breath, a small warm cloud left his cracked lips. He stared down at her through slightly glazed eyes as he tried to shake off the remaining feelings of sleep. Sharply turning her head away, Rue stared at her cup, drinking it quickly to distract herself. Shigaraki came up close to her and grabbed the cloak from the back of her chair. He wrapped it around himself linking the chains onto the collar of his shirt. He sniffed it and looked at her. Embarrassed that she had been using it as a blanket for the past couple of days she thought to herself if it smelt bad and stared down the almost empty cup before making eye contact with him again.  
“Once we get back, I’ll teach you how to make your own.” He said before grabbing the basket and pulling it into the shadows of his cloak, disappearing completely from view. With his index finger, he flicked her forehead. “We’re leaving.” He walked to the edge of the stairs before she could complain.  
“We’ll be leaving then!” She gasped after chugging down the remains of her tea and running after Shigaraki down the steps to where he was drawing a sigil of a town.  
“I’ve been meaning to ask, why don’t we just portal there.”  
“It’s not in a town.” Shigaraki said, drawing the last of the sigil and pocketing the chalk. “It’s in an isolated location deep in the mountains, and this is the nearest town to it.”  
Shigaraki put his hood up and opened the door. If she wasn’t cold before, Rue definitely was now. Before she could even step outside, the chilling winds came to greet her first, the snowstorm howling loudly, biting at her skin. She couldn’t speak through her chattering teeth as she wobbled and teetered on the icy and snowy road, running after Shigaraki as he barely moved an inch in the strong winds. After a couple of minutes the wind began to die down but the snow continued to fall becoming knee deep and harder than ever to walk in. She felt as though she held the whole ocean in her boots as they were growing heavier with each step. Looking up, Rue now saw the town covered in the thick blanket of snow similar to the ones on the mountains back at Shigaraki’s place. If she didn’t know any better she would have thought he was sending her on a wild goose chase, circling the mountains to tire her out.  
Trying to call out to Shigaraki was futile as her chattering teeth and tiredness got the better of her. Grabbing Shigaraki’s cloak to stop him in his tracks, she accidentally pulled it from his head showing a head of black hair and a stunningly handsome face turned to her.  
“Sh-sh...” She stammered, but before she could finish saying his name he put a finger to her lips to stop her, his red eyes gazing as though piercing her soul. She never realised that behind his scars he had a mole under his eye and one under his lip.  
“With the world hunting criminals, it’s best to be careful whose name you call out.” He whispered, he smiled at Rue as he inspected her cold skin flaring into a lovely pink. She pushed him a little away from her as she wrapped her arms around herself again, her clothes were completely drenched from the snow and the wind didn’t make it any easier to endure the cold.  
“Where are we going anyway?” She said through gritted teeth. She looked around her at the snow covered town, a strange language lining signs and doors all around her. “Where are we?”  
“Walk and talk.” He said in a hushed tone, he strode briskly making it difficult for Rue to keep up. The townsfolk they passed barely gave them a glance, as they were too busy shovelling snow and getting what Rue could now see was a marketplace ready for the day.  
“We’re in Norway.” Shigaraki said as Rue caught up to him. “One of the branches of the Great World Tree is here and it’s where you’ll be tested to see if you’re capable of learning magic.”  
“The Great World Tree...” She repeated, the cold bothering her less as she started to feel the excitement bubbling inside her.  
“First, we need to make a quick stop.”  
Passing the town gave Rue only a brief moment to appreciate it. The roads were much wider and the houses were tall, mostly made of wood with unique markings and symbols lining the wood of each house. The ambience of the town gave her a warmth that cuddled closely to her chest, almost feeling more like home than her old home on the hill. Before long, the town was nothing but a small glowing spec in the distance at the base of the snowy mountains as Shigaraki and Rue both ventured into the fjord. The deeper they went into this desolate place, the colder the atmosphere grew.  
Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet began to shake and the snow from the mountains came thundering down the slopes as a ginormous creature came bursting from the snow and stood before the two of them, its golden eyes staring.  
“Who dares enter my domain?” It howled bearing its long sharp fangs at the two of them. Perplexed by its sheer size, Rue stood staring at the creature, its scales lightly glistening like the snow in the sunlight.  
“Toga, it’s Shigaraki.” He said undeterred by it. Within an instant, the creature melted away leaving behind a young lady with the same golden eyes and long fangs.  
“You could have warned us you were coming.” She pouted, lightly pit patting the snow as she disappeared into the mountainside. “Well come on! It’s freezing out here!”  
Shaking the wonderment out of her mind, Rue followed after Shigaraki. The mountainside they were walking by was just an illusion placed there to hide a log cabin at the foot of the actual mountain.  
“How can I understand what she’s saying if we’re in a different country?” Rue whispered to Shigaraki as they approached the log cabin.  
“The same way you can understand me.” He said. Rue looked at him confused. “You didn’t honestly think Kurogiri just gave you tea in the morning, did you?”  
“I guess not anymore...” She gulped, thinking about the amount of times she could have been poisoned unaware that the tea he was brewing in the morning wasn’t the same as what she normally drank. “I thought you said you studied in England, surely you know english fairly well?”  
“Yes, but it doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side.” He replied.  
“Right this way!” The girl with golden eyes beamed at the two of them as she held the door to the log cabin open. Following Shigaraki inside, she was met by two others who were lounging lazily by the fireplace.  
“You could’ve warned us you were coming, otherwise the cabin wouldn’t be in the state that it is!” One of them said, letting his head bob lazily on the edge of the sofa’s headrest. The other lay across a two seater sofa snoring loudly as he slept.  
“That’s what I said.” The girl shouted, closing the door behind her as she skipped over to the fireplace and began to warm her hands. “Nearly attacked them by the cliffside!”  
“So what brings you to Norway, Shiggy?” The black haired magician twisted himself around quickly as his glowing blue eyes caught sight of Rue who was still standing behind Shigaraki awkwardly. “Well, well… never knew you’d be the type of guy to find a lover.”  
“A what?!” Rue blurted out, waking the third one from his slumber abruptly making him fall from where he slept and landing with a hard thud onto the floor in front of the girl who laughed heartily and helped him up in between her giggling. Raising her hands, Rue protested, “No! No! I’m just an apprentice!”  
“That’s how it starts!” He laughed, Shigaraki bopped him on the head shutting him up for a second as he hung up his cape.  
“We’re only here briefly.” Shigaraki got to the point. “This one needs a focus.”  
There was a sudden silence as the three looked at each other and said in unison. “Oh...”  
“You’re not planning on taking him to the World Tree, are you?” The heavily scarred one asked, getting up properly to inspect Rue as she just stood there awkwardly as the four magicians conversed.  
“Rue will make her own way there.” Shigaraki said, hovering close to Rue.  
“Ah, traditional methods.” The scarred magician said as he came in close proximity to Rue, she could feel the heat emitting from him. She glanced at him for only a second but regretted doing so as soon as he smirked as their eyes met.  
“A cute one.” He said calmly which made Rue all the more flustered. “Where’d you find him?”  
“Wallbabble.” Shigaraki said, putting an arm around Rue and guiding her over to the fire, body blocking her from the man almost possessively.   
“You mean, the girl that helped you?”  
“Oh- Gods!” The girl shouted giddily, “You’re her, I’m Toga!”  
“Rue...” Which was all she was able to manage as she cuddled close to the fire feeling the ice on her clothes melt off.  
“Call me Twice.”  
“Dabi.”  
She nodded her head trying to commit the names to memory.   
“When will you be heading off?” Toga asked her, leaning dangerously close. Unable to answer her question, Rue glanced up at Shigaraki who was making himself comfortable on a stool behind her.  
“I guess when my gut feeling kicks in...” She said, remembering what Shigaraki had just said about Rue making her own way to the Great World Tree. It was a test. She knew this, but the unknown scared her terribly, not to mention the wind and snow was already bone chilling to the point Rue didn’t want to leave the comfort of the fireplace.  
“You must be freezing wearing only those little layers.” Toga said getting up. “Let me lend her a coat before she goes.”  
“It better not be laced with magic.” Shigaraki said sternly as Toga stopped in her tracks and gazed over at him as if he was mad. “She can’t have anything that blocks out the cold.”  
“Why is that?” Rue said, turning to look at Shigaraki whose white hair and scars came back in the light of the fireplace.  
“It’s tradition.” Dabi said, slouching back into his chair.  
“Tradition to freeze to death?” Rue complained as she took off her boots and hung up her socks to dry. Toga brought back a towel for her, which Rue was grateful for. Drying her feet with it and leaving it to warm up.  
“Any person will feel the magic seeping from the Great World Tree.” Shigaraki explained. “Only one in tuned with magic can tell the difference between magic and the cold, that’s why it’s imperative you have nothing that blocks the elements. It’s cheating otherwise.”  
“And what if I freeze before I find the tree, what then?” Rue huffed angrily.  
“You knew the risk of becoming a magician, if you don’t want to die trying then come back to the cabin.” He said sternly, “I’ll erase your memory of ever meeting me and you can go back to your life with the townsfolk of Wallbabble.”  
Rue felt her heart sink in her chest. She didn’t want to die before learning magic but going back to her old life didn’t feel like living either. She looked at Toga who shared a look with her too.  
“I’m sorry I can’t help.” She said, “All my coats and cloaks have enchantments.”  
“It’s alright.” Rue reassured her. “I’ll make it before I turn to ice.”  
And there it was. A feeling like a string pulling at her heart. She stood up. The four magicians looked at her, knowing. She looked at her damp socks still drying in the fireplace, afraid that if she was to wait any longer the feeling would disappear. Before anyone was able to speak a word to her, Rue shoved on her boots and ran out the door. The faster I find the tree the faster I can come back to the warm fire. She thought and sped off with the feeling strongly tugging at her heart.

It didn’t take long for the wind and snow to pick up. The blizzard began right in the middle of Rue hiking up the mountain. She had the feeling tugging at her until the wind started to push her from side to side, like a rag doll in the wind she didn’t have much of a choice but to keep walking straight until the feeling came back to her. However, her fingertips and toes had lost all feeling and were numb. Rue looked around through the blizzard for a place to take shelter until the snow settled again.  
Finding a hole in the roots of a tree, she clambered in and tried to curl herself up to retain her body heat. Soaked to the bone, Rue feared she was going to freeze into a block of ice. She wanted to turn back ever so badly to the log cabin, thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she just tried again once her clothes were dry and she got a coat to combat the cold. However, she felt the same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she thought about it. The same feeling she had when she was fighting against the second Lieutenant back in the ruins of Wallbabble.   
Rue was, under no circumstance, prepared or even equipped to fight that crazed soldier, but she did anyway and came out of it alive. Rolling up her sleeve, she looked at the scar trailing up her arm. She wasn’t prepared for that either. Again, she was able to face it head on and came out stronger from it. She took a deep breath in to calm her nerves. She remembered the warm log cabin, then she thought about Kurogiri resting in the fireplace back at home. As though she could feel the flames burning beside her, she curled herself tighter and closed her eyes.   
“Psst- Hey!” A loud but small voice shouted. Opening her eyes, Rue looked at a glowing blue wisp of a face staring at her. Recoiling backwards, she whacked her head off the tree roots knocking the fatigue straight out of her. She stared at the light blue wisp as they stared back at her unblinking.  
“How long are you going to be asleep for?” It said.  
“I-I...” Rue stuttered trying to find the words to communicate with this tiny little flame perched on her arm. “Did...did I summon you?”  
“More like trapped me and set me free...mostly.” It said back, sitting on her arm dangling their little legs off her like a small fairy.  
“I trapped you?” She asked quizzically, beginning to poke at the small being perched on her arm thinking that maybe she was still dreaming.  
“Yes.” The little guy said and slapped her finger away from him.   
“I’m sorry, I don’t recall trapping a small fairy like you...I’m Rue.”  
“Loud Cloud,” He said, jumping to his feet. The small being had wavy hair that swept back to flow upwards above his head and two shorter tufts of hair hung downwards framing his face. Rue had seen this face before, maybe somewhere in a dream of sorts. Suddenly it hit her.  
“You’re the pyre spirit that ran free from Kurogiri!” She beamed. “I thought I had killed you, I’m glad you’re alive...so to speak...”  
The spirit looked at itself, then glanced up at Rue. “I remember running from something trying to crush me, I don’t particularly like small spaces.”  
Is he talking about being stuck in Kurogiri’s suit? Rue thought. Or could it have been when I grabbed him and forced him in the sink?  
“Well you’re here now,” Rue said aloud, slapping her cheeks to wake herself up properly, looking at the alarmed little spirit. “You must have kept me warm, thank you.”  
“Don’t thank me just yet.” He said and pointed out into the snow. “There’s another blizzard coming in an hour or so, you best be quick not to get caught in it.”  
“How can you tell?”  
“Easily! I’m not the king of the clouds for nothing!” Loud Cloud said with a wide grin on his face. Rue smiled, she was glad to have someone with her. Out of the blue, a thought popped into Rue’s head. She looked at the little spirit and cleared her throat.  
“Can you search the skies?” She requested.  
“Not like this I can’t.” He replied. “I’m only a fraction of what I was.”  
“Then can I lend you some of my magic?” She asked. “If I can share it...”  
Loud Cloud tilted his head to the side, folding one arm and resting the other on top to scratch his chin, exhaling a loud “hmm...” as he thought about it. It took him a moment which put Rue a little on edge until he finally agreed to it. Pumping her fist enthusiastically into the air, Rue stopped abruptly as she looked at Loud Cloud realising she didn’t know the first thing about sharing magic let alone if she had any to share.  
Realising this too, Loud Cloud sighed. “All you have to do is think of sharing, like food!”  
“Sounds easy enough.” She said softly and closed her eyes thinking about sharing. She never did much of that in Wallbabble, it was mostly the people sharing with her. She remembered the stories she used to make up and share with the street kids, shouting tall tales of dragons and warriors, magicians and mermaids battle at sea. She stifled back her laughter as she remembered a story her father used to tell her before bed about a falcon and an eagle. The eagle was big and strong and in comparison the falcon was small and weak. The falcon was nothing like him and felt like he could not compete with the eagle until one day a monster from the skies went to attack the eagle and in a desperate attempt to save his friend, the falcon swooped in and moved the eagle out of harm's way. The two birds used their strength and speed to scare away the monster making the skies a safer place for all birds.  
Rue remembered how much she loved that story, how every night she would wish so badly to just one day be a bird and soar through the skies freely.  
“It’s a great story.” Loud Cloud said. Opening her eyes, Rue saw a falcon perched on her arm, its feathers glowing a beautiful light blue. “Looks like you prefer speed over strength.”  
“Always worked for me in the past.” Rue said jokingly as she crawled out of the tree roots into the brisk cold air. The snow was brilliantly white, glaring back the mid-afternoon sun as it barely shone passed the clouds. “Shall we give this a test run?”  
“No need.” Loud Cloud said, spreading his wings and arching forward preparing for Rue to launch him into the sky. With all her might, Rue threw up her arms letting the falcon soar up high, disappearing into the cloud layer. A light blue tether was left behind by the falcon glowing from her scar like a thread on a spindle. Grabbing the glowing thread, Rue ran with it like a child with a kite allowing the string to pull her to her next location.  
Soon she found herself in the thicket with shrubbery and small trees dusted lightly with snow all around her. She could feel herself getting close. Continuing to run up the mountain, she found herself gasping for air the higher she got. It was getting harder to breathe but she wasn’t going to give in so quickly. Taking it slower, she climbed up the mountain making sure she took a deep breath every time she felt the slightest bit dazed. Stopping to rest at the foot of a thick, wide-reaching tree. Loud Cloud came rushing back, and perched on her shoulder.  
“What’s the matter?”  
“I...can’t breathe...” She panted, coughing and spluttering the more she tried to speak. She looked at her surroundings as she was in the deepest part of the forest now on the side of the mountain, surely she couldn’t be much further from the Great World Tree. She looked around again, holding onto the bark of the tree and she circled around it.   
Abruptly pulling herself back against the tree, Rue clasped her mouth shut and tried to breathe through her nose quietly. Sleeping on the other side of the tree was a large grotesque creature. Its long gangly arms and legs sprawled across the ground, its body was like a bulbous pear oozing a dark green substance from exit wounds scattered around its chest as ends of rods and spears protrude from them. Its nose was missing from its face as a large underbite with tusks as long as its fingers poked against its cheeks. Rue couldn’t tell if the creature had a blue complexion because of the cold or because of its nature but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out.  
As she was about to leave, she felt a nagging at the back of her mind. Climb. It nagged. Climb! Turning around she saw the arms of the creature reaching around the tree. With its arms outstretched, the creature was about to swat her like an annoying fly in the summertime. Running for her life, Rue dug her nails into the bark of the tree and clung on, looking for another part to climb higher. She heard the loud clapping sound of the creature’s hands beneath her, as it retracted its hands, she heard it exhaling tiredly, searching.  
Hanging off of the closest branch, Rue watched as the creature slowly lugged itself down the mountainside. She cursed under her breath knowing full well that, that was her way home.  
“What am I going to do?” Rue panicked in a hushed tone. “I can’t cling here forever, I’ll freeze to death!”  
“But if you go down there, it’ll catch you.” Loud Cloud whispered. The two of them thought the same thing. If Rue faced this monster, she most definitely would end up dead. Outrunning the creature was out of the question as its long gangly arms would be able to reach them before they could run far enough. Hearing a crack, the branch broke off and Rue fell to the ground with a thud. Clasping her hands over her mouth to stop her from gasping, she scanned the area watching for any movement. Thankfully, the creature was not close by and she took this second to hide herself again.  
“If you don’t think of something soon, you’ll freeze from the blizzard!” Loud Cloud whispered, his beak pointing skyward as the storm clouds were closing in.  
“Wait, say that again...” Rue asked.  
“You’ll freeze from the blizzard?” Loud Cloud repeated.  
“The blizzard!” She gasped. “We can use the snow as a cover to get out of here alive!”  
“B-but the blizzard will freeze you before you have a chance to-”  
“I have you.” Rue beamed at him. “An ever burning fire, you can keep me warm as we travel down the mountain.”  
“What if you run out of magic, what then?”  
Rue looked at the branch she was still holding on to, considering how long the snow was resting on this branch it was surprisingly dry.   
“We can use this to keep you burning.” Rue said, she looked up at the clouds. “Is now a good time?”  
The falcon looked up at the sky too and nodded its little head. “Now is as good a time as ever.”  
Taking a deep breath in, Rue began running down the mountainside, keeping her eyes peeled for the creature. Holding tightly to her chest the tree branch and Loud Cloud. Within a split second of noticing the creature, it took a clumsy swing at Rue. Falling back on her arse, Rue continued to slide down the snowy mountain, her backside freezing up the faster she slid. The creature roared and came chasing after them. As it came closer, it took another heavy swing at Rue, who leapt out of the way and began rolling down the mountainside, the creature’s arm crunched through a tree trunk on impact.  
“NOW!” Loud Cloud shrieked as the wind began to pick up rapidly, the snowstorm howling and raging violently as Rue clutched Loud Cloud tightly to her chest, the icy winds biting at her back.  
Now, the cries of the mountain rang loudly in Rue’s ears. The thought of the creature being right behind her in the blizzard scared her nearly to death but she didn’t dare turn back. She pretended not to hear them or better yet that it was just the wind.  
“I’m...so...sleepy...” Rue could barely make the words as her teeth began to chatter again as she felt the blizzard freezing her down to the bone.  
“Please stay awake!” Loud Cloud pleaded, pecking desperately at Rue’s cold numb skin. Setting the branch alight, Rue’s hands clasped onto it, the pain forcing her to stay awake. She kept walking, forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other.   
As soon as she was able to see the log cabin, her legs gave out and she fell into the snow, the fatigue taking over her body as the icy winds numbed her, lulling her to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> All Magicians are either born or introduced into the world of magic, one can be more adept to one specific field of magic than another.  
> In Howl's Moving Castle, there's mentioned a War. Which in this story, Magicians are conscripted into the magical army straight after school. Many Magicians fled after their first service as they were too scared of the damage they could cause to others and to themselves. You could lose yourself to using too much magic...


End file.
